Bibliofreakblog

Words to the Wise by Michael J. Sheehan

The subtitle on this book is “A Lighthearted Look at the English Language”.  Certainly that’s apt.  While most books on language (usage, etymology, etc.) take a serious approach, this is more of a jaunty romp through the wackiness of our words.

The book is set up as a Catechism of sorts, in a question and answer format.  But these aren’t questions that the author, Michael Sheehan, just made up.  For years he hosted a radio show, by the same title as the book.  These are the best of the best from that show, in terms of both questions and answers.

Callers asked the word guru all sorts of questions, from where did the term “hobo” or “red herring” come from to misuses people found in the news, from politicians, and even pastors.

A QUICK QUIZ

The indentation at the bottom of a champagne or wine bottle [is called a]:

A. Punt B. Duff C. Frass D. Jess

These sorts of quizzes are found on every other even page throughout the book, with the answer on the next even page (so no cheating!)

More sporadically throughout the book are little bits of trivia, such as word facts (the five most misspelled words in the English language are desiccate, minuscule, supersede, dumbbell, and liquefy), name origins (Charles came from the Germanic meaning “man”) bumper sticker sightings, of the punniest variety (dijon vu: the same mustard as before), and different word meanings (tingle: metal clip supporting roof glass or slates).

Because of the way this book is written, it’s great to put down and pick up again.  But you might not need to, because remember, Sheehan’s callers are average people curious about language, so his explanations are straightforward, meaning you won’t get bogged down.

Oh, and the answer is punt.

If you like this book/author, you might like:

The Stories of English (NF) by David Crystal 
The Unfolding of Language (NF) by Guy Deutscher
The First Word (NF) by Christine Keneally
The Search for the Perfect Language (NF) by Umberto Eco
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves (NF) by Lynn Truss
Empires of the World: A Language History of the World (NF) by Nicholas Ostler
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language (NF) by John McWhorter
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold Story of English (NF) by John McWhorter
The Story of English (NF) by Robert McCrum
Do You Speak American? (NF) by Robert MacNeil
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (NF) by Simon Winchester
Consider the Lobster (CNF) by David Foster Wallace
Freakonomics (NF) by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

Other works by Michael Sheehan:

More Words to the Wise (NF)
Word Parts Dictionary (NF)
On the Lamb in a Doggy Dog World (NF)
Words! A Vocabulary Power Handbook (NF)
Handbook for Basic Writers (NF)
The Cry of the Jackal (F)
In the Shadow of the Bear (F)